


Perfectly Lined Up

by Dreamin



Series: Snarky and Sweet [1]
Category: Knives Out (2019), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship, not exactly a meet-cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 17:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21149537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin
Summary: A cute but rude guy tries to cut in line in front of Darcy and she's not having it.





	Perfectly Lined Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [afteriwake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/gifts).

> This is my first time writing for a movie (in this case _Knives Out_) I haven't seen yet.
> 
> I know it's listed as Thrombey here but according to IMDb, Ransom's surname is Drysdale and that's the one I'm using.

Darcy was almost at the front of the line at the busy coffee shop when she heard the bells on the front door chime.

“Oh fuck no,” came a male voice in a disgusted tone that most people would’ve muttered but he said it loud enough for the entire shop to hear.

_Rude much?_ Darcy thought as she turned towards the voice and was met with the sight of a man storming towards her with a determined look on his face. _OMG, sex on a stick! _

The man was about six foot, towering over her five-foot-four frame. He wore a thigh-length caramel-colored cashmere overcoat over a white fisherman sweater, black pinstripe trousers, Gucci loafers, and a floral-patterned silk scarf. He had a strong jaw like some comic book hero and slicked-back brown hair that her fingers were itching to muss up. Gold wire-rimmed sunglasses stayed in place as he cut in front of Darcy just as the customer in front of her stepped to the side.

“Hey!” she protested. “There’s a line.”

“I can see that,” he said, giving her what Darcy assumed was supposed to be a charming smile. “Too long, I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

“And the rest of us don’t?” She jutted her thumb towards the back of the shop, where the line ended. “Back of the line, dude.”

The man looked at the length of the line then back at her. “Tell you what – I pay for your order and you let me cut in front of you.”

“Tempting,” she said, and she had to admit that it was, “but no. Paying your way out of consequences doesn’t work in the real world. Back of the line.”

He sighed heavily. “Fine.” He headed for the back of the line but before he got there, three more customers came in and got to the back of the line ahead of him.

Darcy could hear his grumbling while she placed her order then grabbed a table by the windows that had just been cleared, setting her laptop on the table and her bags underneath. When her name was called, she went up to get her coffee, fully aware that the man’s eyes were on her. _He can just cool his heels in line like everybody else._

After going back to the table and taking the first, heavenly sip of her coffee, she turned on her laptop. _Jane’s notes won’t transcribe themselves._ The two of them were in Boston for yet another astronomy conference and Darcy was grateful that this one was more on the outskirts of town instead of the city proper. She proceeded to get completely absorbed in translating her shorthand to longhand without bothering to define the scientific terms Jane had constantly lobbed over her head.

“This seat taken?”

_It’s him, isn’t it?_ Forcing herself not to check if she’d dripped any coffee on her shirt, she looked up into the prettiest blue eyes she’d ever seen on a man, belatedly noticing his sunglasses were hanging from the collar of his sweater.

Said eyes were dancing as he grinned at her expectantly.

Her hormone-flooded brain belatedly reminded her to respond. “Oh, um, no, go ahead.” She assumed he wanted to take the empty chair to one of the other tables since all the other chairs were taken.

Instead, he took off his coat and scarf, hung them on the back of the chair, then sat down, grinning at her apologetically. “Hey, sorry about that. My nannies raised me to be a gentleman.”

_Nannies? As in plural?_ _How rich** is** this guy?_ She smiled a bit. “Yeah? Too bad it didn’t take.”

He shrugged. “Not for a lack of trying on their part, believe me.” He held out his hand. “Ransom Drysdale.”

She left him hanging just long enough to make him uncomfortable then she shook it. “Darcy Lewis.”

Ransom smiled a bit. “New in town? I thought I knew all the regulars here by sight.”

“Just visiting.”

“Technically, so am I – I live on the other side of the city but I’m here often enough to practically be a regular.”

Darcy raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so everyone else is used to you cutting in line?”

“Basically,” he said, chuckling. “Everyone knows me and my family, they know what we’re like.”

_That would explain why no one else complained._ Darcy rolled her eyes. “Must be nice to be rich enough to have a consequence-free life.”

“It is, actually,” Ransom said, grinning shamelessly. “So, to make up for being a first class jerk first thing in the morning, how ‘bout I take you out to dinner tonight?”

“Can’t tonight, got a thing.” _Which is sadly true. I bet he’d be a fun date._ Her naughty side immediately added, _Not to mention fun in bed. _She shushed it.

“Tomorrow night, then.” He took a sip of his coffee.

_Wish I could._ “I’m going home tomorrow.”

“Where’s that?” To his credit, he sounded truly curious instead of creepy.

Darcy smiled a bit. “Not here.”

He nodded, smiling approvingly. “Being purposely vague, nice. Can’t be too careful these days.”

“We’re just two ships passing in the night, or early morning, in this case.”

Ransom looked like he was going to say something but his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, frowning. “What could she want?” He looked up at Darcy. “I have to take this.” Without waiting for a response from her, he accepted the call. “What do you want, Linda?” he asked impatiently, then he paused. “I stopped calling you that when I was twelve, I’m not about to start again now.”

_The heck?_ Darcy wondered as she went back to her notes and tried not to eavesdrop. _Little hard when the conversation is happening at your table._

A hand reached out to grab a blank sheet of paper. Darcy was about to protest when she looked up to see Ransom shake his head a bit. He cradled his phone against his shoulder as he started folding the piece of paper.

She decided to let it go and went back to her notes. _Maybe he’s a smoker and needs something to do with his hands. Mmm, such nice hands._

“No, I didn’t forget,” Ransom went on, his impatience morphing to irritation. “If I wanted to see crocodile tears, I would’ve gone to the zoo.” Another pause. “And I bet she was sitting in the back, away from the family, wasn’t she?” The irritation had blossomed fully into disgust.

_He makes “family” sound like a dirty word._ She sipped her coffee, trying to concentrate on the notes but his voice and his hands, still folding the paper, were too distracting.

“I’m on my way.” He paused again. “Yeah, I know what Alan said but I want to make sure I have the best seat in the house to watch the rest of you have your little temper tantrums.” He ended the call without saying goodbye.

“No one annoys you like family,” she said, smiling a bit, her eyes on her laptop.

“Tell me about it,” he muttered. “That was my mother, I’m supposed to be at my grandfather’s later today but I’m going over there early.”

“You call your mother by your first name? My mom would smack me if I tried that.”

Ransom chuckled. “She hates it, that’s why I do it. And I don’t single her out – I call everyone in the family by their first names. Except my great-grandmother, she’s the only relative who doesn’t annoy me.”

“Nice,” Darcy said approvingly.

“I should get going,” he said as he rose and put his coat and scarf back on. “I’d say it was nice meeting you, Darcy, but we didn’t exactly get off to a good start. I will say it’s been real.”

She smiled up at him. “Have fun at your grandfather’s, don’t let them get to you.”

Ransom gave her the first genuine, happy grin she’d seen from him, but it didn’t last long. “I’ll try. See you.”

“Bye.”

He was already out the door when Darcy saw what he left behind – a paper boat. At some point during his call, he had swiped her pen and used it to write _Racy_ on the side. Something told her to unfold the paper. Hidden by the folds, he had written _Call me -- 617-555-6876. Let’s see if we can get our ships to do more than just pass each other._

Darcy couldn’t help grinning. _You know, I think I’ll take him up on that._


End file.
